The 2-5 Cleveland Browns are hosting the 4-3 Cincinnati Bengals for the Week 8 Halloween edition of Monday Night Football.
It is not an overstatement to say that this is a must-win game for the Browns who are fighting to stay in contention in a tight AFC North division led by the Bengals and Ravens.
Here are the three keys to a Browns win over the Bengals.
1. Run The Ball
Everybody knows this, but yet on game days, we see Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt on the sideline at pivotal points of the game.
Hunt is still a Brown though the trade rumors continue to perpetuate.
Both Chubb and Hunt need to be on the field together in planned plays.
Let them follow the blockers and move the chains repeatedly on the way to a Browns win over the Bengals.
The Browns are 2-0 when Nick Chubb gets 20+ carries.
The Browns are 0-5 when Nick Chubb gets less than 20 carries.
(H/T @ChefZae23) #Browns
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) October 24, 2022
2. Play Mistake-Free Football
The Browns have been far from error-free in the execution of the fundamentals of football this season.
Little mistakes in crucial moments have been the story of the 2022 #Browns season
— MoreForYouCleveland (@MoreForYou_CLE) October 23, 2022
Giving Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense any wiggle room at the line of scrimmage or against their high-powered wide receivers will result in disaster.
It also goes without saying that the special teams’ play of the Browns needs to be on point; good special teams execution has been hard to come by this season.
3. Make Smart Play Calls
The Browns need to take points when scoring opportunities present themselves; that means kicking field goals and not necessarily going for it on fourth down.
Also, the coaching staff needs to spend less time on analytics and more time on doing what is working during the course of the game.
How stefanski can be so smart and yet have these play call sets that are Literally set up to fail. Do better #browns
— Patrick T Spencer (@PatrickTSpence1) October 23, 2022
After watching @Patriots @Browns I’ve concluded @baileyzappe04 understands game, what he’s looking at & processing info… AND Browns D is a tough watch, good players but it seems like everything is always open & they make offense easy (have felt this way for yrs, but WHY?)!
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) October 18, 2022
Don’t give the Bengals extra opportunities with questionable play calls.
Conclusion
The Browns have owned this rivalry since Burrow entered the NFL so a Bengals win at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday night in prime time will be a disaster.
“It’s focusing on the now, the team we have now, going on the road and getting a divisional win.”
HC Zac Taylor on the #Bengals 0-4 streak against the #Browns.
“We have to play well if we want to give ourselves the opportunity down the road.” | @WLWT
— Olivia Ray (@OliviaRayTV) October 27, 2022
The team needs to be smart and methodical and get the victory.
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